Unified European Voice on Online Gambling

Members of the European Union Parliament have reached a landmark decision that is likely to change the face of online gambling in Europe. The Parliament past a resolution that obligates all the member states to open their online gambling markets to all the other member states and situates any state that does not comply with the EU regulations in a very actionable position. This resolution was music to the ears of the online casinos.

Though the European Commission has been making standardized regulations for all the EU member states, there has yet to be any significant enforcement by the EU judicial bodies to enforce compliance on part of the EU member states. Until now, certain member states have taken advantage of the situation in order to capitalize on the lack of strict enforcement. They would on the one hand prevent licensing of foreign operators in their own borders, thereby giving their local businesses a monopoly, and on the other hand allow foreign customers to use their local business – they wanted to have their cake and eat it too. Thanks to the new resolution, any EU member state that prevents their citizens from accessing other member states’ casinos or prevents those casinos from receiving licensing can be prosecuted.

Clive Hawkswood, the CEO of the Remote Gambling Association, praised the new resolution. He explained that this is a breath of fresh air for the European online gambling industry. He went on to praise the change that he sees in EU legislation – a change from a policy of prohibition to a policy of legalization and regulation.

The European Court of Justice has already begun enforcing the new EU policy. Italy was recently brought to the ECOJ for refusal to grant licensing to an online casino from the UK.